Mid Century Modern Foot Stool DIY

A Mid Century Modern Foot Stool DIY using geometric fabric that is a good Saturday afternoon project.  This was the first piece I have ever made that was fitted and round.  Normally if I make something round I make it my way and how ever it turns out is how it was meant to be.  But this piece required good measurements and accurate sewing.  I was surprised at how well it turned out for my first piece and all it took was a learning to baste first and take my time.  I have never machine basted before and now I don’t know why I have never done it before.  It seriously made everything easier and when I did make  mistake, because we all know I made a few, it was so much easier to rip out.

Materials for a Foot Stool DIY:

• Tuffet 
• 3/4 yard Robert Kaufman Canvas 
• 3/4 yard Robert Kaufman Geo Pop fabric
• Rope Trim
• pencil
• scissors
• Sewing Machine and thread
• Serger (optional)
• Zipper Foot
• Seam Ripper (optional)
• staple gun
• staples
• scissors
• flat head screwdriver or  staple lifter (optional)
• Power Drill with Phillips Head bit
• Wood disk and wood feet ( Home Depot)
• Paint brush and DecoArt Paint

Instructions for Foot Stool DIY:

1. Place the cushion in the centre of the fabric, and trace the circle 2 inches bigger than needed.  I surged the edge but you do not have to.
2. Cut your rope trim to size and add an extra two inches.
   Better to have more than enough than to cut it too close. Line up its raw edge along the raw edge of the top panel. You will be attaching it to the right side of the fabric. Start sewing about 2” down from the start of the piping.
3. Pin the two together and set your machine to baste stitch. At this point, you are just basting, so there is no need to get too close to the cord.
4. Cut fabric for side panel and surge one edge.  Again, you do not have to surge the edge but I do.
5. Line up the side panel with the edge of the top panel. Start sewing with a basting stitch about 2” down from the top. You will be sewing a 5/8” seam.  This will hide the basting stitches from earlier.
   
6. When you’ve sewn around the perimeter, remove the pieces from the machine and line up the edges for a custom fit. Do this by marking a straight line on both ends of the panel where they should be sewn together and pin them in place. (Make a test fit as shown in the image below.) 
7. The zipper foot allows you to get close to the piping-use a regular stitch to sew the pieces together.
8. Trim off the excess seam allowance, iron open, and sew along the piped edge to ensure that it’s completely closed
   
9. Place the fabric over the cushion. Pull taught but do not distort the shape. Place the wood base on top of the cushion. Pull fabric up over edge firmly but not so much you pull the pattern out of shape. Place three staples approximately two inches from outside edge.
10. Place three more staples on the opposite side of the first three then do the same on the left side and the right side
11. Pull firmly on the unstapled sections, smoothing as you go and staple in place after one section is stapled and smooth.
12. Repeat step 11 until all the fabric is smooth and stapled into place. If you make any errors remove the stapled area and rework.
13. Cut off excess fabric up to about 1/2′ from staples
14. Add the brackets for the feet and then add the feet.   You can add the brackets before or after you staple the fabric.  Your choice.
15. I painted my feet the day before I started the project and coated it with polyurethane to protect it from chipping.  How you finish the feet is your choice.
    

Now that you have read the Foot Stool DIY  I hope you are ready to make your own.  You can also check out this project too.  It is another version of the tuffet.